E3 2018’s Halo Infinite Trailer Was Only An Engine Demo, Game Still A “Long Way” Off

Microsoft started its E3 2018 briefing today with a big Halo reveal: Halo Infinite. We saw a massive, sprawling world with creatures we’ve never seen before in Halo. The video ended with a tease of Master Chief. But as it turns out, this was only an engine demo, not necessarily indicative of what the game will actually be. The engine is called Slipspace, and what was shown in the trailer is the culmination of “years of work,” developer 343 Industries said in a blog post today.

343 created a new engine Halo Infinite because the game was so ambitious that the studio new technology to realise the game’s ambition. “The E3 demo showcases some of the exciting potential of this technology–everything you see is running in-engine,” 343 said.

This deer creature has been hitting the gym

The developer stressed that it still has a “long way to go” before Halo Infinite comes out. Not only that, but 343 said the game will undoubtedly change between now and release. That said, the engine demo stands as a “clear indication of the direction we are heading with our next game and a great snapshot of where our tech is right now.”

Halo Infinite has a new art style that is inspired by the “most iconic and historic parts of the Halo franchise,” as well as fan feedback. You might have noticed that Master Chief’s helmet looks a bit different, too, and this is meant to display the game’s new art style.

Also in the blog post, 343 said it’s aware of the feedback that Halo 5: Guardians did not focus enough on Master Chief. As you may recall, the story was split between Master Chief and Agent Locke. But for Halo Infinite, the game “will focus on the Master Chief and continue his saga after the events of Halo 5.” That’s good news for fans who want to see Master Chief back at the center of the story.

343 added that waiting for a new Halo game can be difficult–indeed, it has been almost three years since Halo 5 was released in 2015. From the sound of it, Halo Infinite is not coming out anytime soon. And 343 is not going to rush it.

“We are taking the time we need to make the right game and are making changes to how we approach things this time around,” 343 said. “The goal of the entire 343 Industries team is to make a great Halo game for our fans that also invites new players into our franchise. We will have some new and unexpected directions to take folks in and I believe the way we achieve that is to build alongside our community, iterating and improving as we go.”

343 also teased that it will invite people to play Halo Infinite ahead of launch through testing programs as it has and continues to do with Halo: The Master Chief Collection. “It will take some time for us to be ready to kick those flighting events off, but when we do they will start small and grow along the way,” 343 said.